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Two students at DJJ injured after incident Wednesday afternoon, agency says

According to officials at the Department of Juvenile Justice, the incident happened Wednesday afternoon.

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice says two students are being treated for minor injuries after an incident on Wednesday afternoon. 

The incident took place Wednesday at the facility in Columbia along Broad River Road. 

Officials at DJJ say the students got a hold of several keys. They never left the living quarters area, however. 

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The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division confirmed they responded to a "disturbance at the Broad River Road Complex" and that "order was quickly restored."

SLED Executive Affairs Director Ryan Alphin added that "SLED had a limited response from our SWAT team and regional agents. SLED did not use any less lethal force to include rubber bullets or tear gas."

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In a previous story about the institution, State Senator Katrina Shealy said she has seen improvements to the agency but staffing still remains short by 50%. She said with the lack of staff at DJJ, extracurricular programs for students were cut out like welding, woodwork, upholstery, and chapel.  

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The South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) has five secure facilities housing juveniles across the state, with more than 400 children housed in these secure facilities across the state. 

As of November 12, there are 66 children housed at the Broad River Road facility. It's that same facility that has been facing serious staffing shortages and security concerns for months.

 

 

 

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